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Bill to create statewide emergency maps for schools wins committee support in hearing
Summary
HB1503 would direct the Department of Education to develop standardized school maps to be shared with agencies that respond to emergencies. DOE staff said an RFP is underway and the Public School Infrastructure Commission earmarked $2.8 million of previously allocated funds for mapping work.
Representative Daniel Popovich Miller told the Senate Education Committee HB1503 would require the Department of Education to coordinate a centralized set of school facility maps so every agency responding to a critical incident can use the same information. He emphasized the bill aims to improve multi-agency coordination rather than respond to a specific event.
Senators asked whether the Department of Homeland Security and local emergency-management teams had been consulted and who would pay for the work. Popovich Miller and Department witnesses said homeland security had been consulted as part of planning and that the department expects to proceed within existing resources or to seek budget authority in the next biennium if needed.
Tim Carney of the Department of Education’s Bureau of School Facilities said the department has an RFP out for the mapping work and that the Public School Infrastructure Commission voted to allocate $2.8 million of a previously authorized $10 million to support it. Carney said procurement and selection work is underway.
Committee members probed whether the statutory authorization in HB1503 is necessary given the department’s ongoing work; witnesses said the bill clarifies legislative authority and creates a statutory home for the effort. The committee concluded the hearing; further committee action and any amendments will follow.
